Second World War

British troops practising for D-Day, 1944

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Second World War

The Second World War took place between 1939 and 1945 and was the bloodiest conflict in human history. It split the world's nations into two opposing military alliances, the Allies and the Axis Powers.

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Explore Second World War stories

Audrey Chitty with Helen Pine at the ATS Training Depot, Sarafand, Palestine, Summer 1942

Audrey Chitty and the ATS in Palestine

Audrey Chitty was one of many women who stepped up to meet the challenges of the Second World War. She played a key role in establishing the Auxiliary Territorial Service in the Middle East.

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Troops of the Royal West African Frontier Force in the Arakan, Burma, 1944

This painting by Captain Hugh Micklem depicts West African soldiers on campaign in Burma (now Myanmar) during the Second World War.

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Rex Whistler’s self-portrait, May 1940

This self-portrait is one of many depictions of Second World War soldiers on display at the National Army Museum. Here, we take a closer look at the painting to discover more about Whistler's life as an artist and soldier.

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Gerry Chester, during training with the Royal Tank Regiment, c1942

Sergeant Arthur ‘Gerry’ Chester

Gerry Chester served with the tanks of the North Irish Horse in North Africa and Italy during the Second World War. Like other tankmen, he forged a close bond with his crew mates, with whom he endured many hardships and combat actions.

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Section Leader Mary Oldnall of the ATS working electrical apparatus, Shoeburyness, c1941

Hidden voices: Mary Coomer

The voice of Mary Coomer, who served in the ATS during the Second World War, was recently discovered in the National Army Museum's collection of oral history interviews. This is her story, in her own words.

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Valerie Erskine Howe, Auxiliary Territorial Service, on a motorbike, c1944

Hidden voices: Valerie Erskine Howe

What would you do if your partner told you to get out there and 'learn about life' before they would marry you? Valerie Erskine Howe opted to join the Army... in the middle of a war. This is her story.

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3rd County of London Crusader tank and crew, Libya, 1941

The Sale Collection: Operation Crusader

In the fourth instalment, we explore the wartime exploits of the 3rd County of London Yeomanry in 1941. During this time, the men of the unit underwent a baptism of fire in the Libyan desert.

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3rd County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters) keeping fit on board HMT 'Orion' en route to Egypt, 1941

The Sale Collection: Voyaging to war

In the third instalment, we explore the exploits of the 3rd County of London Yeomanry in 1941 as they travel around Africa en route to the desert war in Egypt and Libya.

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Civilians gathered around British tanks, Hamburg, May 1945

The Army and the occupation of Germany

Following their victory over Nazi Germany in 1945, the Allies were faced with administering a country in ruins. British soldiers had a leading role in this, helping to hunt war criminals, rebuild industry and help displaced persons.

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Levison Wood (left) with his dad Lev Wood Senior

Levison Wood: My Grandfather’s War

Author and explorer Levison Wood discovers the story of his grandfather's wartime service in Burma through family memorabilia and National Army Museum archives.

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Mapping the Far East campaign

This video provides a brief summary of the battles fought in the air, on sea and on land during the Far East campaign of the Second World War. It also examines how we remember these events today.

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Japanese flag captured by 6th Battalion, 5th Mahratta Light Infantry, 1945

Yosegaki Hinomaru: Japanese good-luck flags

A collection of flags captured during the Second World War sheds light on the tough close-quarter combat of the Burma campaign and provides some rare insights about soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army.

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Explore Second World War events

Foe to Friend: The British Army in Germany since 1945

Exhibition

12 September 2020 - 1 September 2024

FREE

Foe to Friend

More than a million British soldiers have lived and served in Germany over the past 75 years. Follow their evolution from conquerors and occupiers to allies and friends.

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A clergyman and Civil Defence workers helping to clear the debris of a London school, 1940

Primary (virtual)

8 January - 19 July 2024

FREE

London in the Second World War: The Blitz (virtual)

Explore historic artefacts to discover more about the London Blitz and the people who worked to keep civilians safe.

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London in the Second World War: The Blitz

Primary workshop

8 January - 19 July 2024

FREE

London in the Second World War: The Blitz

Explore historic artefacts to discover more about the Blitz and the people who worked to keep civilians safe.

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School students getting to grips with the handling collection

Secondary workshop

8 January - 19 July 2024

FREE

World at War: Soldiers of Empire

Discover more about the contributions of soldiers from the British Empire in the First and Second World Wars.

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Talk At Museum

2 May 2024, 6.30pm

£10.00

Sky Warriors

Bestselling historian Saul David presents a riveting new account of the British airborne experience during the Second World War.

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Handwritten extract from Ted Senior's diary, c1943

Talk At Museum / Online

10 May 2024, 12.00pm

FREE

In Their Own Words: A Diary of the Death Railway

Join research curator Justin Saddington as he examines the diary of Ted Senior, a soldier and prisoner of war who survived the building of the Thai-Burma ‘railway of death'.

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D-Day display in the Conflict in Europe gallery

Tour At Museum

11 May 2024, 11.00am

£2.00

Second World War: BSL Tour

Follow expert guide Edward Richards on a British Sign Language (BSL) tour of the galleries examining the Second World War.

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Performance At Museum

12 May 2024

FREE

Soldier Stories: Tommy Roper

Meet characters, both real and imagined, from the Army’s past and hear their amazing stories in our galleries.

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Performance At Museum

19 May 2024

FREE

Soldier Stories: Sister Evelyn Morgan

Meet characters, both real and imagined, from the Army’s past and hear their amazing stories in our galleries.

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A Churchill tank in a ruined Normandy village, 1944

In Conversation At Museum / Online

7 June 2024, 12.00pm

FREE

The Days After D-Day

Dr Glyn Prysor discusses the Battle for Normandy with Professor Jonathan Fennell, examining the Allied advance that followed on from the historic D-Day landings.

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People dressed in 1940s style dancing at the National Army Museum

Museum Late At Museum

15 June 2024, 6.00pm

£25.00

D-Day Dance

Put on your dancing shoes and jive back in time to the 1940s at this special after-hours event.

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Talk At Museum / Online

28 June 2024, 12.00pm

FREE

World Heritage and War: The Bombing of Pompeii

Professor Nigel Pollard uses the little-known story of the bombing of Pompeii during the Second World War to reflect on the risk that conflict poses to cultural heritage sites.

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Explore Second World War learning resources

Video

KS2-KS3 (Ages 7 to 14)

Shirley Hamilton: ATS Servicewoman

Explore the contribution of Caribbean women who joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) during the Second World War.

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Women of the West Indies Auxiliary Territorial Service, c1944

Video

KS3-KS4 (Ages 11 to 16)

Virtual Exhibition: West Indian Soldier

Explore the history of Caribbean people in the British Army, and of the British Army in the Caribbean, through this virtual tour of the West Indian Soldier exhibition.

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